Why Jeri Ryan Rejected A Cameo In One Of The Worst Star Trek Films – SlashFilm

Stuart Baird’s 2002 movie “Star Trek: Nemesis” was one of many franchise’s a number of loss of life knells to come back throughout the early 2000s. “Star Trek: Voyager” got here to a detailed in mid-2001, ending an extended-operating interval of Trek ascendancy. “Star Trek: Enterprise” debuted in late September 2001, and it served as a prequel to the unique “Star Trek,” set a century earlier than the times of Captain Kirk. It regarded totally different, had a distinct tone, and aimed to convey Trek to a brand new technology. Sadly, due to the 9/11 assaults, the world was not within the temper for an extended-in-the-tooth sci-fi franchise that centered on diplomacy, making peace, and residing in concord. Audiences had been now extra intent on struggle, retribution, and violence, and “Star Trek” not had a spot on this planet. 

In 2002, “Star Trek: Nemesis” was launched to unenthused audiences and low field workplace receipts. Made for a funds of $60 million, “Nemesis” solely earned $67 million worldwide, making it the bottom-grossing movie in “Star Trek” historical past. It has a 38% approval ranking on Rotten Tomatoes (primarily based on 172 critiques), edging out solely William Shatner’s “Star Trek V: The Ultimate Frontier” (23%) and Olatunde Osunsanmi’s “Star Trek: Part 31” (18%) because the worst-reviewed Trek films.

It is not excellent. Nobody, not even hardcore Trek followers, actually likes “Nemesis.” Trekkies may be excited by the cameo by Kate Mulgrew as Admiral Janeway, the onetime captain of the usS. Voyager, however that wasn’t sufficient to interact folks. Additionally, because it so occurs, Mulgrew’s “Voyager” co-star Jeri Ryan, higher often called the Borg escapee Seven of 9, was additionally provided a cameo in “Nemesis,” however she turned it down. In response to a 2011 Nerdist podcast, Ryan turned the position down as a result of she had simply taken a gig on “Boston Public,” and needed to get away from Trek. 

Understand that Ryan had simply left the set of “Voyager” after 4 profitable seasons. She had turn out to be the breakout star of the present, because the “Voyager” writers beloved giving her tales. And whereas Ryan beloved the celebrity “Voyager” introduced her, she wasn’t very keen on the costume she needed to put on on “Voyager,” which was an advanced and uncomfortable full-physique catsuit with a constructed-in corset. Ryan was additionally terrified of being pigeonholed, desirous to outline herself as an actress past sci-fi. David E. Kelly’s “Boston Public” was an amazing alternative for her, and she or he jumped on it. At that time in her profession, returning to “Star Trek” was not one thing she was excited by. She mentioned: 

“Rick [Berman] referred to as and mentioned ‘Do you wish to be within the film?’ And I used to be like “‘Hmmm.’ I simply did 4 years in a catsuit and I simply obtained on a David Kelley present, which was my one probability to interrupt out of “Star Trek,” which was nonetheless frankly a concern that I wasn’t going to have the ability to escape that and do one thing else. You may have little or no outs in a TV collection contract, so I did not need my first step as soon as David Kelley made this position for me to be ‘Hey, may you let off for a pair months to do “Star Trek?”‘

Rick Berman was the longtime govt producer and head honcho of all issues “Star Trek” on the time. Seven of 9 was well-liked, and Berman felt she would draw folks right into a film. Ryan, nevertheless, sensed that Berman was solely plugging her in arbitrarily and feared that Seven of 9’s presence would not make dramatic sense.

Ryan was involved that Seven of 9 would not actually be jibe with the solid of “Nemesis.” Baird’s movie, recall, was a continuation of “Star Trek: The Subsequent Era,” and starred that present’s solid. “Voyager,” in the meantime, had solely minimal overlaps with the “Subsequent Era” characters, and Seven had little to do with them personally. Ryan suspected that she was solely requested to be a part of “Nemesis” as a result of Seven was well-liked, and never as a result of they’d a very good story thought for her. She put it thus: 

“I informed them if there was a motive for this character to look within the story, then completely. If there was a very good story motive, then completely. However [Seven of Nine] by no means interacted with any of the characters on [‘Next Generation’]. She’s by no means met them. Why would she be there? They’d be plugging her in simply to plug her in. It was simply odd. So it wasn’t the appropriate factor to do … They understood, however then he was like ‘Do you wish to do a cameo on the wedding ceremony?’ And I used to be like, ‘No, if I do not wish to be within the film, why would I wish to do a cameo?'”

“The wedding ceremony” refers back to the wedding ceremony between Captain Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis), which kicks off the film. 

Ryan did return to the position of Seven of 9 in 2020, becoming a member of the solid of “Star Trek: Picard.” By then, Seven had turn out to be a violent bounty hunter, and conceivably had time to satisfy with Picard off-display to foster a friendship. Each Seven and Picard, in any case, had survived a harrowing expertise with the Borg, in order that they a minimum of had one thing in frequent. In a 2020 interview with ComicBook.com, Ryan mentioned she initially laughed off the invite to be on “Picard,” however when she heard the producers’ concepts for Seven, she grew to become “intrigued.” “That made much more sense,” she mentioned.